Chapter 21: Number One and Second to None

John got a shiver down his spine and then turned to glance out his office window at the night sky. “…Was it my imagination?”

For some reason, it felt like someone was bitterly cursing out his name and face. Not only that, but he had a vague sense that karma was shifting, like thin spider webs falling on the planet.

“…I should be fine.”

Even if they were, he was the ruler of the Three Realms after he transcended it and bound the Realm Source to his will. Not only that, but he was an entire universe and plane of existence away from them.

It’d take a mountain of karmic beads to even affect him, something no sane person would use, and even then it’d have to be someone who had a strong karmic tie to him.

And among those people, there weren’t any that would want to hurt him.

So… probably his imagination and the aftermath of having to act chuuni for hours on end in front of Rin… and the cold and judging eyes of Alpha and Beta.

Speaking of Alpha…

“Are you certain that there is nothing that you require of me, Master?”

The black-haired beauty sat across from John, fiddling with her rainbow ribbon.

“Just keep me company tonight.”

Alpha’s eyes widened and she flushed. “M-Master. Th-That much… If Mistress were to find out…”

John paused and then let out a groan. “You’ve been reading my books, haven’t you?”

Alpha’s flush deepened, spreading to her neck. “T-That is…” She averted her gaze and then gave a meek nod.

“I knew it. And no, I don’t want you to keep me company like that. It’d be weird… You already know that I think of you and your sisters like my daughters.”

Alpha tilted her head. “But in the Three Realms, was it not true that such a relation-“

“Aaand that’s enough. Sit there and be quiet, Alpha. That’s an order.”

She flinched and then immediately shut up.

John sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair. “Honestly… Can’t a guy just catch a break and enjoy a normal life?”

Alpha gave him a blank stare. She didn’t talk, but her crimson eyes seemed to be saying, ‘Since when did Master have a normal life to begin with?’

“And that’s why I want one! Come on, Alpha. You’ve been with me the longest. Tell me, has there been one year- No, a single day where I’ve been able to sit back and relax without some upstart Young Master trying to take you away, some Ancient Expert trying to steal my treasures, or some beautiful young girl or woman being in distress and clinging to me as a lifeline?”

Alpha blinked and then gave John the ‘look.’

John coughed. “W-Well, I guess maybe that last part is a lie considering the number of women I could have ignored and the number I purposefully stepped in to save… But what else was I supposed to do?”

Alpha rolled her eyes.

Seeing that, John frowned. “…Whatever. The point is… I just want a day- No, a week where things go normally and I get to sit back and relax. Is it too much to ask?”

Alpha nodded.

“That was a rhetorical question.”

Alpha shrugged.

John sighed and then pulled up the website. “Now, I might as well set all this up since we shot all the videos… Let’s see. Time lock this, order this-“

[It is those who possess wisdom who are the greatest fools. History has shown us this. You could say that this is-]

“Gah! Stop, stop, stop!” John mashed alt-f4, trying to close the cringey video. But instead-

[The universe has a beginning, but no end – Infinite. Stars, too-]

“Gah!” Seeing that it wasn’t working, John unplugged the desktop. Of course, since he was in such a haste, that caused the outlet to come flying out of the wall, sending sparks everywhere.

Sparks that landed on the papers he had lying around before catching fire.

Alpha smirked, giving John an amused stare.

“Don’t laugh at me! This is serious!” He pulled off his shirt and started to bat out the fire.

Alpha froze and then gave him a look that seemed to say, ‘Master. Are you serious?’

John froze, wondering why she was staring at him like that. And then he remembered.

“Oh right. Transcendent.” John muttered and then waved his hand.

In an instant, everything returned to normal. Even the cringey videos that were playing by accident were stopped, paused by his will.

Alpha shook her head. Even while being ordered to sit there and be quiet, he could practically hear her cold voice echoing in his head.

‘Master. You are an imbecile.’

John sighed and sat back down at his desk. Holding out his hand, he materialized a cup of coffee and went back to work, pointedly ignoring his previous slip up and Alpha’s judging gaze.

Sakura got out of the cab and stifled a yawn. Afterwards, she adjusted her purse around her arm and then walked up the path to her house. As she did, a bright smile was on her face.

The day was going well. While she didn’t expect to run into that unreliable guy earlier, it was nice to see that he was still alive after everything.

She had given him a bit of a hard time, but the truth was that she was happy Kai was doing well. For a long time, she had thought that he had gotten himself killed trying to help her out, but it seemed like he hadn’t.

And it seemed like she covered up her surprise and emotions well enough. At least, that guy didn’t seem to notice it… or maybe it was the wine he drank. Kai did finish off three bottles by himself…

‘Well, he’ll manage somehow.’

If the guy stayed alive despite having the Seiryuu Alliance Head marking him as enemy number one among yakuza, he could make it home.

Sakura pulled out her phone to call Rin, but then noticed that it was off. It seemed like she had forgotten to charge it.

She sighed and then walked up to the door.

Sakura had turned over the keys to Rin, so she couldn’t open the door. Considering that her sweet daughter had probably spent all day practicing and was exhausted, she didn’t want to wake her, but…

With a sigh, Sakura raised her hand and knocked on the door. “Rin? Are you awake?”

No response. Of course, Sakura was expecting that. She sighed and started to knock again. But then the door opened.

Sakura sighed and said, “Sorry to wake you up so late, Sweetie, but- Eh?”

Sakura blinked, realizing that the person standing in the door way wasn’t her daughter. Neither was it that Mister John.

A beautiful woman with crimson hair and glowing orange eyes. Delicate facial features that seemed to be a mix of Western and Eastern features. A pristine white blouse and a black skirt. Standing in the doorway, the woman tilted her head slightly to the side.

Sakura did the same. She blinked and then took a few steps back to look at the house number, wondering if she was at the wrong house. But it was definitely the one she remembered. Definitely her house.

Realizing that, she frowned and walked back.

The woman in the doorway didn’t move, simply observing Sakura.

Sakura frowned and then placed her hands on her hip. “Who are you?”

The woman was silent.

Sakura’s frown deepened and she narrowed her eyes. Pulling out her phone, she said, “If you don’t give me an answer, I’ll call the cops! And don’t think they won’t come! Officer Kimura is a good friend of mine, you know?”

The woman blinked and then bowed. “My apologies.” A clear, if somewhat indifferent voice. “I am Beta, the one that Master assigned to watch over Miss Rin while she is home alone.” Beta straightened and then said, “Are you Miss Rin’s mother?”

“Eh? Beta? …Master?”

Beta stepped back and said, “Miss Rin is asleep at the moment. Might I ask you to be quiet as you enter?”

Sakura walked inside, shutting the door behind her. “You don’t have to tell me twice… I don’t want to wake up my sweet daughter if I don’t have to considering how hard she works. But…” She tilted her head and scanned Beta up and down. “No wonder that man wasn’t affected by my looks. If he has a lover as beautiful as you-“

“Ah.” Beta shook her hand. “You are mistaken. Master is not my lover.”

“Eh?” Sakura blinked. “But you call him Master…?”

Beta flushed. “Be that as it may, Master is not my lover. He is my father.”

Silence. Then Sakura slowly shook her head. “It seems that it really is different overseas, isn’t it?”

Beta paused and then her eyes widened and she quickly waved her arms. “N-No! Miss Rin’s Mother, you are mistaken! Master and I are not-“

“It’s fine.” Sakura waved her off and walked over to her bedroom. “I won’t judge. I’ve seen worse fetishes when I was younger.” Glancing back once she reached the door, Sakura smiled and said, “Either way, thanks for keeping an eye on Rin, Miss Beta. Feel free to make yourself at home.”

Before Beta could get another word in edgewise, Sakura closed her door.

Beta stood there in the living room, her face flushed. But then she let out a long suffering sigh. “I see. So that is where Miss Rin inherits it from.”

Like mother like daughter… It seemed both Rin and her mother were prone to drawing and making conclusions regardless of arguments to the contrary.

Beta shook her head and then turned off the lights before sitting down at the table in the living room. Tucking a strand of her crimson hair behind her ear, she reached underneath the table and pulled out the Mintendo Switch that she hastily hid under a pile of newspapers when Sakura knocked on the door. Turning it back on, she made herself comfortable and then went back to online play in Super Smash Brawls.

“Hmph. Still stubbornly challenging me? The result will not change.” Beta smirked and accepted the challenge from ‘Number 1.’

Meanwhile, back at Myth Inc. HQ…

“This damnable taunting opponent!” Alpha jumped out of her chair as her character, a red plumber, flew off the stage into the void. Meanwhile, her opponent, a green plumber, spammed taunts, making their character turn their back on the screen and stick up their thumb.

Gritting her teeth, Alpha clenched her hands, causing the controller she was holding to crackle as the plastic bent.

John tinkered with the HTML on the next day’s webpage and then said, “Oi. If you break that too, I’m not giving you another one.”

“I will fix it myself, Master.”

“And I will ban you from playing any more games considering the literal dumpster fire you caused just an hour ago.”

“…Understood.” Alpha let out a frustrated sigh and then glared at the television screen and the taunting green plumber. “You accursed ‘Second to None’…! Pray that I never find your identity, you pretentious and unsightly @#[email protected]#!”

Was she that upset? Alpha stopped speaking words at the end, resorting to a garbled mess of chaotic sounds. At the same time, the air started to ripple, a karmic curse started to swell up with Alpha’s rage.

John cleared his throat.

The black-haired beauty froze and flushed, quickly retracting the curse. “…My apologies, Master.”

“Nn.” John let out a noncommittal grunt and went back to work.

Meanwhile, Alpha glared at the screen and mashed the button to challenge ‘Second to None’ again.